Where Restlessness Comes From
When one has studied the Dharma extensively, taking up the recitation of Amitabha Buddha’s name often naturally gives rise to joy, enthusiasm, and wholesome states of mind. Once genuine joy arises through recitation, practice becomes much smoother. In the initial stages, however, recitation is frequently arduous. Restlessness and drowsiness are two formidable obstacles almost every practitioner encounters.
Many people experience restlessness while reciting the Buddha’s name and mistakenly attribute it to the recitation itself. This, however, is not the case.
Restlessness does not originate from Buddha-recitation. Rather, because recitation restrains the mind’s habitual modes of operation, the mind begins to rebel. What you experience directly as restlessness is this resistance.
For example, if you are accustomed to chatting with others, you may feel the urge to seek out someone to talk to after only a short while of reciting the Buddha’s name, quickly losing the inclination to continue. If you force yourself to go on, you naturally feel that “recitation makes me restless.” In truth, it is not the recitation that irritates you; it is that your accustomed ways of grasping at comfort and pleasure have been temporarily blocked.
The exact same principle applies to scrolling through your smartphone. Accustomed to a constant influx of information and novel stimuli, the mind becomes uneasy the moment it settles down to recite. You might even find yourself unconsciously picking up your phone—scrolling for a bit, then reciting for a bit.
These recurring, intractable physical and mental inclinations are precisely what we call “habitual tendencies” (vāsanā). Beyond chatting and phone scrolling, everyone harbors far too many other personal preferences that ought to be restrained. When you fail to free yourself from them, they become obstructions (āvaraṇa) to practice.
Therefore, one point must be clearly understood: restlessness is not the root of the problem; it is merely the mind’s reaction when its habitual tendencies are challenged.
In spiritual practice, accumulating merit and purifying obstructions must proceed hand in hand. The so-called “purification of obstructions” is no abstract concept. It involves working directly with these specific habits—the fondness for casual chatter, the addiction to scrolling through phones, and various other inclinations that prioritize ease and comfort. These are the very obstacles that must be restrained and gradually subdued.
As your Buddha-recitation deepens and genuine joy begins to unfold, these habitual tendencies will naturally diminish. At that point, far from seeking distractions, you will actively resist being interrupted. You will lose interest in mindless phone scrolling and endless chatter. Should anyone come to disrupt your practice—“Please, another time!”
This reflects the example of Great Master Yinguang in his later years, who frequently urged visiting disciples to return home and focus on Buddha-recitation rather than wasting time on social pleasantries. On the one hand, he was leading by example; on the other, it demonstrates that the power of Buddha-recitation naturally turns one away from distraction and laxity, guiding the mind toward introspection and concentration.
This article is a preliminary translation draft and has not yet been reviewed or proofread by the speaker.
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